ALL THINGS CLOUD 9 SPA - A Detailed Photo/Video Review Of Carnival Dream Spa

[gapearl]

Thanks for posting your review. I'll be in a spa cabin on the Breeze next year. It cost $90 to upgrade from the room we were originally in, and it's in a better location (closer to the lido). I doubt my mom will use any of the spa facilities, but the price is still cheaper than what I'd pay if I were to buy the weekly pass. We'll be on an 8 day cruise with 3 sea days and a short port day, so I'm sure I'll take full advantage of everything. Again, thanks for the great review!

[kshees]

Great review!! We are booked into a spa suite on the Dream in December and until this review there hasn't been alot to read about it. Thanks for doing it and great pictures!!

[iceleven]

This is a very informative review for those who have been curious but not sure if it would be for them. We generally always try to cruise on ships with the spa cabins or we'll pay the extra for a weekly spa pass. Husband and I use them most days and thoroughly enjoy them.

 

The cabins that you raved about are generally put aside for handicapped people so their availability is extremely limited for most able-bodied people. And as you said earlier, you could be booted out to a balcony if a handicapped person needed it.

 

The last thing I would want to do is book a cabin that would make it difficult for a handicapped person to book. This was an option made to you because the room was still available but now, after this great review, I seriously doubt that they will be all that easy to book now that handicapped people have been made aware of them. I know they will also truly appreciate this info in your review.

 

I just want to say to others here, who are only a couple and don't need the extra space both the inside cabins and balcony cabins are equal in size and very adequate for two people. We enjoy the balconies but since the "secret" deck at the front of the ship is only steps away for all the cabins on the spa deck, we've also enjoyed inside spa cabins and the difference in cost saved a nice amount of $$ so that we were able to put toward better excursions. We generally take three cruises a year so it also helps with our vacation budget.

 

Please forgive me if this was already mentioned, only two spa passes are available per spa cabin. Third or 4th person would have to pay the extra and I believe the minimum age for spa use is 18.

[cruiserNC]

Great review of the Spa I am sold now....

[JaniceB]

Thanks again for the review. After reading the entire review I am really excited about my upgrade to a spa room. The pictures were great.

[ChristieDawn]

Great review! We are booked in a Spa Inside Cabin on the 12th deck on the Magic in April and now I am even more excited! I am already looking forward to relaxing in the spa before dinner!

Did you say that the spa does not open until 8am?

[twoboysforme]

Oh man...after reading your review I REALLY want a spa cabin. My family of four is looking at the 6/22 sailing of the Breeze and I just might have to do it. The only OV cabins for four though are handicapped. Oh well guess we will book inside....never have but will give it a try!

[rockbock]

Great review! We are booked in a Spa Inside Cabin on the 12th deck on the Magic in April and now I am even more excited! I am already looking forward to relaxing in the spa before dinner!

Did you say that the spa does not open until 8am?

 

Yes, I actually meant to comment on the Cloud 9 Spa hours in my review and I didn't remember to do it. The hours were probably my biggest disappointment with the spa. Perhaps I'm not "normal," but I would have gotten sooooooooooo much more use of the spa if the hours from from 5am or 6am until midnight or 1am, rather than 8am until 10pm. I am always awake VERY early and I would have used to spa every single morning if it was open between 5am and 7am. By opening at 8am, it basically ruled out the ability to use the spa in the morning on port days. Likewise, I would have loved to have the option to use the spa after the evening shows, but it closes at 10pm each night.

[rockbock]

Oh man...after reading your review I REALLY want a spa cabin. My family of four is looking at the 6/22 sailing of the Breeze and I just might have to do it. The only OV cabins for four though are handicapped. Oh well guess we will book inside....never have but will give it a try!

 

There are only four OV spa cabins on the entire ship and all of them are handicapped. Two of them can accommodate 4 passengers. If either of them are still available, you can book them. You will just be told that there is a chance you will be bumped to another cabin. If they bump you, it has to be an equivalent or better cabin, which means you will likely be bumped into a Spa Balcony.

[JaniceB]

It would be nice if the hours were longer. I would like to relax in the pool before bedtime.

[LOVECRUISING100%]

Wow.. Loved your room .. Thanks for posting !!

[Tammytam]

I was so surprised to see your review because I am booked on the Dream in 11203 come March 2013. Your review was perfect :) Can you tell me how the motion is on the ship in this room location? I have been middle and aft but never the very front. I heard being so high up you feel a lot of movement. Is this true?

[rockbock]

I was so surprised to see your review because I am booked on the Dream in 11203 come March 2013. Your review was perfect :) Can you tell me how the motion is on the ship in this room location? I have been middle and aft but never the very front. I heard being so high up you feel a lot of movement. Is this true?

 

I was shocked at how little motion we felt...truly shocked! We were about as high and forward as you can get, but I felt nothing. I take one ginger pill every day beginning the day before the cruise. I'm sure it helps, but I'm sure it was also just a very smooth trip. I would not hesitate to book high and forward again!

[JaniceB]

I hope I have the same luck you did not feeliing the motion. Thanks for asking the question Tammy I was wondering the same thing.

[ChristieDawn]

I was shocked at how little motion we felt...truly shocked! We were about as high and forward as you can get, but I felt nothing. I take one ginger pill every day beginning the day before the cruise. I'm sure it helps, but I'm sure it was also just a very smooth trip. I would not hesitate to book high and forward again!

 

Thank you, I was wondering the same thing! We have never been about the "basement" as my DH loves to call it so our Spa cabin will be a lot different! We also take ginger pills when cruising and never have had any problems in the past!

[magnamater2]

Two questions, as we have in inside spa cabin on the Breeze.

 

Both are about toiletries.

 

1. Is there conditioner either in the dressing room or in the cabin?

 

2. These toiletries are supposed to be Elemis and an upgrade. Are they? I am packing for Europe and 30 days, so this does matter for my packing. And I fly out in days!

 

Thanks in advance!

[rockbock]

Two questions, as we have in inside spa cabin on the Breeze.

 

Both are about toiletries.

 

1. Is there conditioner either in the dressing room or in the cabin?

 

2. These toiletries are supposed to be Elemis and an upgrade. Are they? I am packing for Europe and 30 days, so this does matter for my packing. And I fly out in days!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

Thanks for asking this question. I should have made a bigger deal about the "cabin upgrades" in my review, but I didn't want to sound like I was making complaint.

 

To answer your first question, there is no conditioner in either the cabin or the spa showers.

 

As for the Elemis products and "upgrades" to the spa cabins in general, I hope the photo below gives you a good idea of how insignificant this "upgrade" truly is. I added the dollar bill for perspective. These are the only two Elemis products I received during the entire cruise. The Body Wash smells like mint and I like the smell. The lotion has an smell which I can't identify, but it isn't especially pleasant. Carnival makes a big deal out of advertising the Elemis products because they want you to buy the full size products in the spa. They also think that by advertising these products (as well as the upgraded decor, robes, slippers, and towels), that people will book the spa cabins in order to get the upgraded spa experience. The spa experience in the cabin isn't really much of an upgrade though...

 

 

 

 

I really don't know how to say this without it sounding like a complaint (and the last thing I want to do is complain about my amazing cabin), but here goes:

 

DO NOT book a spa cabin because you are expecting a more luxurious cabin experience. The decor in the hallways and in the cabins is "different" from other areas of the ship, but it isn't nicer or more luxurious. The bedding is the same as every other cabin on the ship. That's not a bad thing, since ALL Carnival cabins have very comfortable beds, but don't expect an upgrade in the spa cabins. The shampoo and body wash in the cabin shower and in the spa showers is exactly the same as what you get in the dispensers in a non-spa cabin. Again, not a bad thing, since I like the products, but don't expect to get Elemis products in your dispensers. The robes and towels in the cabin are the same quality as what you get in other cabins. The difference is that the towels are yellow and say "Serenity" on them, instead of being blue and saying "Carnival" on them, and the robes say, "Cloud 9 Spa" instead of "Carnival." The slippers are a bonus that you don't get in a normal cabin, but we wore them exactly once, the first day that we visited the spa area. NOTHING else about these cabins is different than any other cabin on the ship, except that I received fewer toiletries (e.g., toothpaste samples, etc.) than other cabins. That might have been because I had a bad steward though, and not because of the spa level cabin.

 

So my advice is to not book a spa cabin UNLESS:

 

(1) You plan to buy spa access anyway and the cost of booking the spa cabin is less than $249/couple more than booking a non-spa cabin

 

(2) You manage to snag one of the amazing OV cabins, since they are HUGE and the size/location of the cabin adds a lot of value to the package

 

(3) The upgrade to the spa cabin costs more than the cost of buying spa access for the week ($249), but you don't mind paying a premium to have a cabin which is in close proximity to the spa.

 

(4) The upgrade to the spa cabin costs more than the cost of buying spa access for the week ($249), but you are the kind of person who wants to stand out in the crowd by having a different color towel or a robe that tells everyone you booked a premium cabin lol.

Edited October 16, 2012 by rockbock

[familycruzinnewbie]

Is the $35 per day fee, per person? Do they have a couple rate or any other day pass deals? I can't see us paying $249 for the week, considering we didn't even make it to the Serenity deck on the last cruise. But I wouldn't mind trying it out one day.

[rockbock]

Is the $35 per day fee, per person? Do they have a couple rate or any other day pass deals? I can't see us paying $249 for the week, considering we didn't even make it to the Serenity deck on the last cruise. But I wouldn't mind trying it out one day.

 

As best I knew, it was $35 per person, per day. However, the price might have recently changed to $40 per person, per day. Just today I saw a post where somebody said it was $40 and not $35. To the best of my knowledge, no "couples deals" are offered on the daily rates and daily passes are only offered if the spa doesn't sell out all of the alotted weekly passes.

Edited October 16, 2012 by rockbock

[rockbock]

Would be great if people who have taken advantage of the Cloud 9 Spa on other ships could add their experiences and/or photos. And also anybody who used the Dream Spa and might have had a different experience than me. I'll be looking very closely at spa cabin pricing on all of my future cruises, so I'd love to hear about everyone else's experiences too.

[reginaphalange]

Thank you for your review. I am looking forward to our spa experience even more now!

[cruiseonthebrain]

Excellent review! Thank you!!!!

[toribiaa]

and all the cloud 9 saunas are coed? I assume bathing suits are required then? ;)

 

This, along with your full review of your cruise, is just amazing and fantastic so thank you. Just a question about the SPA: sounds like it was not very crowded. So, where there semi private rooms, like the showers, were those couples inclined to do so, could engage in some "discrete" fun?

[rockbock]

This, along with your full review of your cruise, is just amazing and fantastic so thank you. Just a question about the SPA: sounds like it was not very crowded. So, where there semi private rooms, like the showers, were those couples inclined to do so, could engage in some "discrete" fun?

 

 

LOL interesting question! :p

 

It's possible if you got there at 8am when most people weren't there yet, or maybe during a port day when most people are off the ship, that you could "enjoy" the rooms a bit. I'd be careful though, because the privacy is limited. The steam baths and saunas were pretty open-looking rooms. If somebody peeked in the doors, they could see most of the seating areas. In addition, there seems to always be a spa worker folder towels somewhere, so they pop into the rooms fairly regularly. The first steam bath is VERY steamy, so it would probably provide the most time to make everything look innocent if somebody entered the room.

 

The showers would be a little easier, as long as you stay in the very back of it (where you aren't visible from the main hallway). Even though the shower is "open," the noise of the shower, I'm guessing, would alert people that somebody is using it, so they wouldn't bother to walk into it. At least I know I wouldn't walk into the shower if it was obviously turned on, but I guess I can't speak for other people lol.

 

As long as all the jets are turned on, the Thalasso pool would be pretty easy, even if a few other people were using it. The power of the jets is so forceful that you can't see anything under the surface of the water.

Edited October 17, 2012 by rockbock

[toribiaa]

LOL interesting question! :p

 

It's possible if you got there at 8am when most people weren't there yet, or maybe during a port day when most people are off the ship, that you could "enjoy" the rooms a bit. I'd be careful though, because the privacy is limited. The steam baths and saunas were pretty open-looking rooms. If somebody peeked in the doors, they could see most of the seating areas. In addition, there seems to always be a spa worker folder towels somewhere, so they pop into the rooms fairly regularly. The first steam bath is VERY steamy, so it would probably provide the most time to make everything look innocent if somebody entered the room.

 

The showers would be a little easier, as long as you stay in the very back of it (where you aren't visible from the main hallway). Even though the shower is "open," the noise of the shower, I'm guessing, would alert people that somebody is using it, so they wouldn't bother to walk into it. At least I know I wouldn't walk into the shower if it was obviously turned on, but I guess I can't speak for other people lol.

 

As long as all the jets are turned on, the Thalasso pool would be pretty easy, even if a few other people were using it. The power of the jets is so forceful that you can't see anything under the surface of the water.

 

Great !!! Sounds like you could be discretely done. We are on the Breeze next year and will get a weekly pass for the wife; now I have an incentive to at least get a day pass for myself !!!